Act 181
Coverage of Act 181 in the Nexus archive.
- Vermont Democrats are destroying New England’s local governance tradition
The article criticizes the Vermont Democratic Party for enacting Act 181, which shifts power from local governance to unelected regional planning commissions, undermining New England's tradition of direct democratic rule. It argues this move exacerbates housing affordability issues by prioritizing regulatory processes over local decision-making.
- Partial rollback of Vermont’s land-use law Act 181 becomes official with Phil Scott’s signature
Vermont's Act 181, a 2024 land-use law aimed at boosting housing and environmental protections, has been partially rolled back after Gov. Phil Scott signed S.325. The repeal, driven by rural landowners and municipal officials, removes provisions that strengthened development reviews in sensitive natural areas, including road construction and habitat connector protections.
- Vermont’s media has a rural blind spot
Neil Ryan, a Vermont farmer, criticizes local media outlets like Vermont Public, VTDigger, and Seven Days for underrepresenting rural grassroots movements and overemphasizing institutional environmental interests. He argues that coverage of Act 181, a land-use law, and related issues like farmland affordability is biased toward corporate and nonprofit stakeholders, neglecting rural perspectives and ecological benefits of managed landscapes.
- As Vermont is a key link in global species movement, state and partners build out conservation networks and wildlife passages
Vermont is a critical link in global species migration as climate change drives wildlife northward. State and conservation groups are working to preserve forest corridors and connect land parcels to prevent habitat fragmentation, despite tensions between development and environmental priorities.